This invention relates to hats having brims and more particularly to hats that are adjustable to fit heads of different sizes.
Hats with brims, such as the ubiquitous xe2x80x9cbaseball capxe2x80x9d are well know. Adjustability to head size is commonly achieved by means of a split headband whose ends can be overlapped to varying extent. To accommodate adjustment of the headband, a portion of the rear panel or area of the crown is omitted such that the crown can change shape. Hats with both front and rear brims are also known as are visors comprising a headband and a brim without a crown portion. Size adjustment of hats with adjustable headbands is limited in range due to the design.
An aspect of this invention is an adjustable article of headwear comprising a front portion having a partial front headband having rearwardly extending ends and a front brim depending and extending outwardly therefrom, and a rear portion having a partial rear headband having forwardly extending ends and a rear brim depending therefrom and extending outwardly therefrom, said ends being overlappable to a variable extent for size adjustment, wherein the ends of at least one of said partial headbands includes an outer VELCRO hooks material and at least the ends of the other of said partial headbands includes an inner VELCRO loops material, whereby the said front and rear partial headbands can be overlapped and detachably secured to form a continuous headband of desired circumference.
Another aspect of this invention is an adjustable article of headwear comprising a front brim, optionally with a headband, having rearwardly extending sides, and a rear brim, optionally with a headband, having forwardly extending sides, a pair of patches of VELCRO hooks material on the underside of at least a first of said brims"" extending sides, and a pair of patches of VELCRO loops material on the upper side of at least the other of said brims"" extending sides, whereby said front and rear brims can be overlapped to a variable extent for size adjustment and detachably secured to one another by engagement of said patches.
Further aspects of this invention are to provide an article that is configurable by the user with at least one detachable component selected from the group of extension links, side panels, a crown, an extension brim, and a chin strap.
These and other objects will be apparent from the description which follows, together with the drawings.
This invention comprises an article of headwear comprising front and rear brims and usually a headband, that is either a crownless, visor construction or a crowned, hat construction. Headwear according to this invention minimally includes at least a front portion and a rear portion. In preferred embodiments each portion is of visor-like construction, comprising a flexible, comfortable partial headband extending partially around the sides of the wearer""s head and a stiff but deformable brim for protection from the sun projecting outwardly from the bottom of the band. Each brim may also extend around the sides of the wearer""s head. Size adjustment is achieved by adjusting the overlap of a spacing between, the front and rear portions. In some embodiments the user forms a double-brimmed article of headwear by overlapping the partial headbands and detachably securing them together. In other embodiments the user forms a double-brimmed article of headwear by overlapping the brim side extensions and detachably securing them together. Size adjustment is achieved by varying the amount of overlap. Attachment is preferably by means of VELCRO hook-and-loop detachably securing strips. When securing is by means of partial headbands, a hooks strip or strips, which would be uncomfortable against the wearers head, is placed on the outside of the headband of one portion, preferably the front portion, and a soft loops strip or strips is placed on the inside of the other band. Unlike certain adjustable visors that have only partial headbands, there is no need to have the brim side portions inwardly biased to secure the article to the head. Once the front and rear portions are secured to one another there is formed a fully circumferential headband. In certain embodiments extension headband links are also provided. The links are headband strips having attachment means, preferably VELCRO hooks material on the side facing away from the user""s head. Each of the front and rear portions may include a partial headband with a soft VELCRO loops strip on the insides of its termini. Detachably securing extension links extending from the front portion to the rear portion enlarges the range of size adjustment of the headwear, enabling it, for example, to be worn over a motorcycle or other helmet.
Embodiments of the invention include one or more additional detachable components. One such component is an adjustable, detachable crown. For addition of this component both headbands of the front and rear portions are provided with outwardly facing strip or strips of VELCRO hooks material that form a continuous, or nearly continuous, band around the assembled article. The adjustable crown is constructed similarly to a typical adjustable baseball cap or golf cap minus a brim. It has a lower band dissected at the rear and has a rear portion of the crown material omitted to permit size adjustment. In this case the lower band, including the overlappable extensions, if any, has on its inner surface a strip or strips of VELCRO loops material for detachably securing the crown to outside of the continuous headband formed by the front and rear portions and, if utilized, the extension links.
Another detachable component is side panels for protecting the sides of the wearer""s head and neck. The side panels are preferably of flexible material so that they hang down. For addition of this component, the brims of the first and second portions are provided on their upper sides with attachment strips of VELCRO loops material, and the side panels are provided along the inside of one straightedge with a strip of VELCRO hooks material.
Another detachable component is an overlapping brim extension to provide increased shade and protection. A brim extension is a piece of brim material. It is attached onto the brim of either the front portion or the rear portion by providing the upper surface thereof with at least one, preferably at least two, strip(s) of VELCRO loops material and providing the underside of the overlapping brim extension with a corresponding strip or strips of VELCRO hooks material.
Another detachable component is a chin strap, which can be detachably secured between the overlapped partial headbands of the front and rear portions by providing the ends of the chin strap with a strip of VELCRO hooks material on one side and VELCRO loops material on the other side. The chin strap can be one-piece, or it can be two-piece, with attachment means, preferably adjustable, under the chin. For adjustment, I prefer a strip of VELCRO hooks material on the outside of the lower end of one piece and a strip of VELCRO loops material on the inside of the lower end of the other piece.